Pagan priestess responds to new Pentagon list of recognized faiths
Presenter: In a reversal, the U.S. military is now reducing the number of officially recognized religious preferences. The goal is “to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy.”
In dropping the number of recognized faiths from 211 to 31, members of many faiths such as Druids, pagan, Unitarian Universalist, and various Wiccans will now be classified as “Other.”
In Eugene, a local pagan says the changes—directed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth—are troubling. Echo Sherman:
Echo Sherman: The conversation raises important questions about religious identity, self-determination, and the role of government institutions in defining faith communities. As someone who has dedicated my life to interfaith understanding and the protection of religious freedom, I believe this moment deserves careful attention from all of us, regardless of our individual beliefs.
I find this troubling, not simply because of who it affects today, but because of what it represents. History teaches us that religious freedom is rarely lost all at once. More often it begins with seemingly small decisions about who counts, who belongs, and who has the authority to define the identity of others.
As a pagan, high priestess, and a medicine woman, I come from traditions that have spent generations fighting to be recognized as legitimate spiritual paths. I’ve personally experienced discrimination and hostility because of my faith. Because of that history, I pay close attention whenever institutions begin redefining faith communities from the outside.
The issue before us is larger than any one religion. It is about whether people have the right to defend and define their own spiritual identity and whether our institutions are committed to protecting that right equally for all.
Every generation believes it’s moved past the mistakes of the past. Yet history does not return only through dramatic acts of oppression. Sometimes it returns through paperwork classifications and bureaucratic decisions that seem insignificant in the moment, but carry profound consequences over time.
My path has descended from traditions that have been—and in many places continue to be—persecuted, outlawed, marginalized, and ridiculed. I believe we have a responsibility to recognize the warning signs when they appear.
The true measure of religious freedom is not how we treat the majority. It’s how we treat those whose beliefs, practices, and traditions differ from our own.
We should be moving forward into a future where diversity is respected, protected, and celebrated. Wherever we find ourselves deciding which faiths count and which do not, we should ask ourselves whether we’re advancing towards that future or drifting back towards a darker chapter of our shared history.
As high priestess of Thornkin Coven, I stand in solidarity with all faith communities seeking the freedom to define themselves and practice their beliefs without interference, exclusion or erasure. Religious liberty is not a privilege to be granted to a select few. It is a fundamental right that belongs to all people.
May we have the wisdom to learn from history, the courage to defend one another’s freedoms, and the humility to remember that strength of a diverse society is found not in uniformity, but in mutual respect. Blessed be.
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